Research MCP Server

Research workspace for Zotero + Obsidian + NotebookLM. Search, ingest, sync, verify briefs. The research mcp server wraps that behind the Model Context Protocol, so an assistant can use it through 14 defined tools rather than through you.

What it actually does

For a real research-hub vault with Zotero / Obsidian / NotebookLM integration, pick the install path matching your stack in § Start Here.

• Zotero stores citations, metadata, and PDFs
• Obsidian stores notes, links, and synthesis
• NotebookLM turns source bundles into AI-readable briefs

Adding it to your client

The server ships on PyPI as research-hub-pipeline, so your MCP client can launch it on demand — there is no separate build step. Add the server block to your client's configuration, restart it, and the tools register themselves.

Its toolset

Everything the assistant can do here goes through one of these:

• CLI — ** research-hub auto, import-folder, ask, doctor, tidy, clusters, zotero, notebooklm, crystal, and more
• Dashboard — ** gives humans a live view of clusters, papers, diagnostics, briefs, writing support, and management actions
• Goal — Accounts needed
• Item — Needed when
• ZOTERO_API_KEY — yes
• ZOTERO_LIBRARY_ID — yes
• SEMANTIC_SCHOLAR_API_KEY — no
• SEMANTIC_SCHOLAR_RPS — no
• TAVILY_API_KEY — no
• BRAVE_API_KEY — no
• Layer — Best for
• Persona — Best for

Configuration

You will need 5 environment variables: ZOTERO_API_KEY, ZOTERO_LIBRARY_ID, SEMANTIC_SCHOLAR_API_KEY, TAVILY_API_KEY, BRAVE_API_KEY. The server will not start without them, which is usually why the tools fail to appear on a first run. Keep credentials in your client's env block or a secrets manager rather than in a file you might commit.

Caveats

• It runs with your machine's permissions. That is convenient and also the reason to think about what you point it at before you approve a tool call.
• With 14 tools registered it takes up a noticeable share of the context window; turn it off in projects that never touch Research.
• Missing credentials fail quietly in some clients — if no tools show up, check the environment block first.
• MCP clients confirm each tool call by default. Leave that on until you have watched what the research mcp server does with a few real requests.

When to reach for it

Among the planning and project tracking options, the useful question is rarely "what can it do" but "what does it cost you to run" — permissions, credentials, and how much of your context its toolset consumes. Research's toolset — CLI, Dashboard, Goal and 11 more — is a fair guide to whether it matches your workflow. It is maintained by WenyuChiou; worth a glance at recent repository activity before you build anything load-bearing on it.

This entry was verified against Research's own documentation before publication; SyncDev keeps the directory reviewed rather than auto-generated.